Jack Chick Publications' DVD debut,The Light of the World, is a series of paintings strung together under voiceover narration, similar to a Ken Burns documentary. It's a hodgepodge of Biblical and Chick comic book storylines, presented in lurid color and jarring voiceover. The movie is creepy and obviously aimed at elementary school children; imagine Mr. Rogers reading Slayer lyrics.

The first chapter is a goofy retelling of Genesis. Adam is nondescript; Eve is an idealized 50s housewife, all round, rosy-cheeked and pleasantly vacant. Satan is a rainbow-colored snakeman who could work nights as a comic book villain. Eve gets Vampirella's eyebrows after she eats the plum-tomato-like fruit of evil.

The film's highlight is its heart-tugging invitation to trust Christ. After seeing from the Scriptures that either heaven or hell will be their eternal home, viewers have the opportunity, while their hearts are still tender, to pray the sinner's prayer and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.

According to Jack Chick, Mel Gibson worships the Whore of Babylon and is headed straight for Hell (or at least the worse neighborhoods in purgatory) unless he is born again and keeps a King James bible in his jock strap. Unfortunately for Jack Chick, Mel Gibson's movie is by all accounts a lot better and will probably bring a Hell of a lot more people to Christ. Pun intended.

I wonder whose method grants you more karma? Trying to draw people to spirituality through a highly commercial semi-accurate portrayal of historic accounts, or trying to scare people into thinking that they'd better don a hollow shell of spirituality and chant a few mantras to trick God into not throwing them into hell?

I'm hoping Passion will come out on video soon. It's not the type of movie on which I'm willing to risk $7-$10 to see just once.

I dunno, I think Chick's movie sounds a lot more entertaining. For one thing, it has a plot. I have zero desire to watch a man be tortured to death for two hours. Though I understand that a lot of people go in for that (Jackass, Faces of Death, Bob Flanagan, etc.)

So, yeah, I really want to see the Chick movie, as soon as I can figure out a way to do so without giving that vicious little man any of my money. But I can't even imagine wanting to sit through Gibson's snuff flick.